Catching up again!

I'm so so bad at keeping up with this blog. Alright, most of the time I feel like I can't keep up with anything, much less the computer, but I want to try to catch up. What had consumed a lot of my time and energy the last month was Laura's wedding, which went extremely well and everything turned out beautifully and the bride was happy, so I consider it a success! I was the "official" wedding coordinator, so I helped Laura with details before the wedding and then dealt with any issues, problems and questions on the big day. I also did the bride's hair, and Jess and I did all the flowers - bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres, and other decorations. It was absolutely exhausting, but fun. Joe and I also designed and built a chuppa (a Jewish wedding canopy), which was awesome.


The other thing that has been keeping me unusually busy is working on my mom's house. She is going to have to sell the house because it just got to be too much, both financially and emotionally, for her to handle on her own. So, in order to put it on the market, we needed to make some repairs and improvements. So, Jess and I have been plugging away at that, during the day with all 8 kids in tow, and then often Joe and Todd come in the evenings to help with the "man work" like paneling and replacing cabinets. So far, all things considered, it's going well, but I'm eager to be done, as it's been extremely draining, physically and emotionally.
As for our house - well, we're kinda on hold for now. Currently the USDA (where we're getting our mortgage) is out of money and doesn't know when they will receive their next disbursement. So, we're still continuing with the planning so we're prepared when we get the go-ahead.
I am continually praying for grace to walk through every step of every situation we find ourselves in these days. I praise the Lord for the joy that He has poured out, even when I find myself overwhelmed by all I'm dealing with.
My issues aside, I am finding myself amazed at how big and beautiful my girls are! Anna was a greeter with Kate for Laura's wedding and seeing her dressed up like that, makes me view the future with trembling! If she's this lovely at 7, what do her teenage years hold?!